Searing Summer Days: A Look Back at the Past Heatwaves
Scorching Temperatures: A Look at the Past Climate Conditions - Experiencing 30 degrees temperature: A glance at the past
Let's dive into the scorching heat that's about to hit Germany, with temperatures predicted to reach a whopping 35°C! The German Weather Service (DWD) advises against engaging in strenuous outdoor activities during the midday sun. But how does this compare to the past heatwaves?
Some folks may reminisce about 30°C temperatures in the ‘70s and '80s as being commonplace during the summer months. However, memory tends to exaggerate certain events, especially those lingering vividly in our minds.
So, what was the reality of heatwaves back then?
According to the DWD, a “heat day” or “hot day” occurs when the maximum air temperature surpasses 30°C. A glance at their weather data shows that most summers in the ‘70s and ‘80s barely experienced a few heat days, with the exception being 1976, 1994, and 1995. Incidentally, these were also the years registering the highest number of heat days. On the flip side, 1956 and 1970 saw hardly any heat days.
Now, we should consider these weather phenomena over a longer period to spot a trend. Thankfully, the DWD has data for this, too.
What’s the overall picture?
From 1991 to 2020, the average number of heat days per summer in Germany stood at 8.9, compared to just 4.2 per year in the previous period (1961 to 1990).
Looking at the occurrences of more than ten heat days, there were only three instances in the 50 summers before the year 2000: 1976, 1994, and 1995. It’s worth noting that these numbers didn’t exceed 1.6 even in the summers with the highest number of heat days.
Conversely, there have been eleven summers with more than ten heat days since the turn of the millennium, with 2018 and 2024 witnessing the highest numbers at 20.4 and 12.5, respectively. This pattern reveals an upward trend in hot days across Germany.
While the exact average number of heat days per summer in Germany during the ‘70s, ‘80s, and the 1991-2020 period is not currently available, it's safe to infer that climate change may have contributed to an increase in heat-related events globally. This trend suggests that the number of heat days has likely increased over the decades due to our planet's warming trends.
- The increase in the number of heat days per summer in Germany from the 1991-2020 period compared to the 1961-1990 period, along with the rising number of summers with more than ten heat days since the turn of the millennium, is indicative of a potential impact of climate change on environment-related events, such as heatwaves.
- Understanding this trend in heatwaves requires not just a look at the past few decades but an examination of environmental science, health-and-wellness impacts, and the broader implications of climate-change on the community policy related to weather and environment.
